Leading up to the annual Kings of Cameron (KOC) rivalry game between the South Hills Huskies and West Covina Bulldogs on Sept. 12, varsity players Fabian Marez and Jacob Gallardo shared their hopes and motivation earlier in the week. 

Fabian Marez (11), South Hills’ starting quarterback, stated that he was prepared for the game because of doubters and mentioned that he couldn’t wait to go out and play. Marezs primary goal was to give his team an edge and secure the win.

“I wanna give it my all, I want to give the seniors a good KOC because it’s their last time to experience this, I just wanna give it my all and leave it all on the field for me and my boys,” Marez said. 

Jacob Gallardo (11), a wide receiver for South Hills who transferred from Bishop Amat this year, shared his thoughts and feelings about his first KOC game and his anticipation for the matchup against West Covina. 

“Our mindset is to do our job and to execute playing as a team – pressure creates diamonds so we’re going to shine, we’re hoping for a win and we want to prove ourselves right and prove the city wrong,” Gallardo said. 

 Despite the excitement and hype leading up to the game, the Huskies suffered a  23-48 defeat. Though the result wasn’t what they hoped for,  Marez and Gallardo reflected on the difficult loss and expressed their feelings. 

“There’s a lot to learn from that game”, Marez said. I would change my decision making. I made a couple bad decisions during that game, which led to a couple of turnovers we had, which could’ve led to a better score, maybe could’ve won the game, could’ve helped us a little bit, but those things happen, and we just need to move on.” 

Jacob Gallardo (11) contributed 89 receiving yards and scored one touchdown during the rivalry game.  Despite the loss, he expressed his commitment to working harder and motivating his teammates to improve as they focus on upcoming matchups. 

 “I just wish we were more prepared on defense and we need to work on our team chemistry and being on the same page. It was a good game but next year that’s ours,” Gallardo said.